The Builder
by rebelboy7696
Summary: An earth pony from the big city of Manehatten makes his way to Ponyville for a fresh start and an opportunity to hone his craft. But is that all he will find when he gets there?
1. Chapter 1

_(Thoughts)_

"speech"

_(Maybe I could just stay in the wagon and chill out today. I have been walking this wagon non stop for the past week and one day off my hooves couldn't hurt-) _knock knock knock! "And there it is, the very second I decide to relax somebody knocks on my door to completely destroy that idea" I drag my self out of my bed muttering curses the whole way to the door of my wagon. I swing the door open doing my best to give a friendly smile instead of an exhausted grimace "Hi how can i help you".

_(Standing at my door is what appears to be a mare with a brilliant blue coat and a pale blue mane. Her cutie mark appears to be a wand with a blue spectral crescent...what the heck does that mean. Oh well maybe Ill find out and maybe I won't, might as well see what she wants)._ "The great and powerful Trixie requires your assistance" I feel my eyebrow tilt up (_really, who talks in third person or uses a title that arrogant_ ") uh alright what do you need" The mare is looking at me with disdain (_but it seems to be false bluster hiding uncertainty just like all the hustlers and card counters in the casinos used to hide fear) _"The great and powerful Trixie's wagon was destroyed in the last town she was in and she requires a new one" (_that explains why she is walking down this path considering the fact the nearest town is Ponyville and that's several miles in the OTHER direction. I have the ability to make a wagon for sure but the materials are another story. I can probably get the lumber in Ponyville so I guess Ill offer to let her come with me till we get there and Ill make her wagon when we get there. How much should I charge...ah might as well let this one be free in exchange for some much needed advertisement, considering I know she has no bits.)_

"Sure I can make you a wagon but you'll have to wait till we get to Ponyville so I can get the wood Ill need. In exchange just tell anybody who asks that I made the wagon and they can find me in Ponyville" I don't know why but she keeps flinching when I say Ponyville (_that's probably the town her wagon was destroyed in, might be wanted there, I guess if it comes to that I can let her hide in my wagon until I am finished with her wagon_

"Trixie...Trixie finds this acceptable. Trixie must ride with you however" I roll my eyes and reply with a simple "no ya think, I was gonna make you walk all the way there. You can ride in the wagon while I pull, we should arrive by evening and I can start on the wagon in the morning" She doesn't seem happy with my sarcasm but she also seems to be lightening up as I tell my plan. Her smile turns smug "Fine but Trixie calls the bed" (_my turn for some fun) _"fine but Im not sleeping on the ground so expect some company later" she is blushing so hard right now. (_Ok I've had my fun) _"I'm just kidding with you I'm just fine on the ground I've slept on worse"

Time skip 7 hours

_(I have been walking for seven hours...seven...FUCKING...hours. This forest never ends, it just goes on and on. That knock was actually a bandit and I was killed...this must be purgatory, I have been cursed to wander this forest for all eternity with her, exhausted, dragging this damn wagon. I shall collapse in exhaustion but receive no rest and have to drag myself out of the dirt and continue on this path into nowhere. It is hopeless I can't do thi- )_"Oh thank Celestia there's Ponyville I made it...Oh hell thank Luna I made it" I collapse in the middle of the path, much to the chagrin of my traveling companion who has her head out my wagon's window and has been talking AT me for the last two hours. But I earned this rest damn it and I am going to enjoy it "Trixie demands to know why we have stopped this close to Ponyville, And when you planned to get off your lazy rear end and get us the rest of the way" I did not just here that, I know I did not here that. I grumble to myself as I push myself to my hooves grateful my orange coat hides the dust on me from view of the town ponies I am about to make my first impression on. My companion quickly hides herself as we pass by what appears to be the wreckage of a wagon. (_This must be hers I need to get closer and examine the wreckage to see if I can piece together what it looked like before this happened) _I trot towards the wreckage and stare at it for a couple of minutes (_I can see the frame as it would be normally. The coverings are even easier now that I can picture the frame. The paint job is foals play. I don't need to make a whole new wagon...this one can be salvaged.)_

I dash back to my wagon nearly knocking the door off its hinges and giving the "great and terrified Trixie" a heart attack. "What are you doing you doing you mad pony, trying to scare Trixie?" I look at her grinning like a maniac before answering " no I am just really excited, you're wagon isn't a total loss I can salvage all of its lumber and rebuild it from the wreckage before the morning even comes, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes." Trixie's face takes on an expression of pure gratitude that melts my heart for a second...then it goes haughty and arrogant again "Trixie is pleased by this turn of events, but before you do that Trixie requires one more thing from you" I glance at Trixie as I slide on my tool vest and pick up my beloved hammer "oh...what else do you need Trixie" she gives me a genuine smile "your name, you never told Trixie" (_oh I am a dick) _"I apologize it must have slipped my mind, I'm Nail Bender but my friends call me Nails".

I grab two nails identical to the ones on my cutie mark with my mouth before slipping them with the rest in my vest. I adjust my beloved hammer which is designed with a claw like the one with the nails on my cutie mark, ready to pull or drive the nails as needed. I rush back out of the wagon towards the scrap pile/treasure trove and start to work. (_Ok first I need to strip the wood of any old nails if I plan to reuse it)_ my body is moving on auto pilot doing that which is engraved into my very soul (O_K the deconstruction is done now, to set up the frame of the wagon) _a nail here, a screw there, this will not break easily (_OK not much work is needed for the axels and the wheels just get them under the frame and secure them better then they were) _this is as easy as always. I quickly secure the wheels in place before moving on (_next the walls, this will be almost as simple as the frame but a bit more time consuming )_The walls are going up easily, giving no trouble whatsoever _last but not least the roof, this will be difficult because it appears the roof took the most damage _it seems that I was wrong, this is fairly easy. I finish and step back to admire my work _this is good work now Ill just move all the extra furniture and crap into the wagon _as I finish resetting her wagon Trixie comes out giving the wagon a loving gaze before looking my way " thank you Nail Bender I don't know what I would have done without your help" I look at her with a content smile "It's nothing Trixie just come visit every now and then, and I told you my friends call me Nails" Trixie's eyes start to water as she replies "thank you Nails, and Trixie will try to visit when she comes way" she starts to pull the wagon out of town as I walk back to my wagon. I run a comb through my brown, medium length mane. Before collapsing into my bed


	2. Chapter 2

**Dreams**

_Thoughts_

"speech"

Just words

"**Oh yeah pretty lady come a little closer" the kinda trashy looking mare canters over swaying slightly. I hold up the dice in my hoof "I need you to blow on these" I lean in to whisper in her ear "and after I win we can meet up later so you can blow on deez" She lightly blows on the dice before I give them a flick from my hoof across the table. "Come on papa needs some head" and it lands on **-knock knock knock! I groan out loudly as I feel my eyes go wide and scan my wagon for the source of that infernal racket. I glance out my window to see the sun has just broke the horizon indicating I'd only been asleep for like three hours "ugh somepony had better be dead or by Celestia they're about to be" I stagger over to the door shaking my head to clear out the cob webs. I stand there a moment hoping whoever it was went away and I could go back to sleep. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!I jump a little at the sudden noise and yank open the door. _Ok I must still be dreaming because unless my eyes deceive me there is six mares and a baby dragon at my door. The dragon is clearly a baby judging by his size and hes purple with green spikes. One of the mares had a lavender coat and her mane and tail are a very dark purple with a streak of purple and violet running side by side down the middle of both. Her cutie mark looks like some kind of...fancy star? The next mare was pure white with an exquisitely styled mane and tail of a purple color. Her cutie mark appeared to be three diamonds...she looks kinda expensive. Both of those two were unicorns reminding me of my sister a little bit. I gazed at the two pegasi hovering above us noticing the unusual coloring of the first. She appeared to be cyan with a cropped mane and tail with every color of the rainbow. Her cutie mark is kind of cool though, it's a storm cloud with a rainbow colored lightning bolt arcing down from it. The other pegasus is yellow with a long pink mane and tail. Her cutie mark is...pffttt haha three butterflies. Finally my gaze falls on the two earth ponies, the first is orange like me but shes a few shades darker with a long blonde mane and tail both tied at the ends with ribbon. Although part of her mane was hidden by a brown stetson hat. Her cutie mark appears to be three apples, I wonder what her favorite food is. The last mare is...is...fucking gorgeous shes bubblegum pink with a poofy pink mane and tail like she spent the last hour shuffling on a shag carpet. She has the biggest baby blue eyes I have ever seen. Her smile is big and looks one hundred percent genuine. Her cutie mark looks like three balloons...I don't know what that means but I'll bet its fun. That lavender unicorn looks like she has something to say I guess I should listen. _"Excuse us but according to your sign you're a carpenter is this correct?" I tear my eyes away from the pink goddess so I could answer the mares question "yes mam I specialize in wood work but I can do almost any form of construction. How can I help you this morning" She seemed a bit uncomfortable when I called her mam. Hell she might be younger than me who knows, anyways she shrugs a little and responds "well me and my friends were on our way to have a breakfast together at the park but the bench we have always used has been giving us splinters lately and we were wondering if you know how to fix that" I grab my vest and double check that I have my sandpaper before responding "sounds like the wood just needs to be sanded Ill walk with you so you can show me this bench and ill have it sanded down real quick before yall eat and after yall head out Ill put a coat of seal on it so it shouldn't happen again" Their all smiling till the orange earth pony asks the golden question "alright pardner but how much'll that cost us" I chuckle softly before replying "If I charged you for something that simple my ancestors would come up out of the grave and get me" I shrug "plus this is my new home and my business needs the goodwill to survive" They all seem to be at a loss of words except for the pink one, she is not at a loss, she has many words. " Ohmygoodnessthatissoniceofyou,bythewaymynameispinkmenadianepiebutmyfriendscallmepinkiepie,whatsyourname,whereareyoufrom,whendidyougethere" She stops to breathe and I quickly jump in so I can try to answer those questions before there are to many "nice to meet you Pinkie I'm Nail Bender but you can call me Nails. I am from Manehatten and I arrived last night." She grins widely but sadly my attention is drawn away from this goddess again, this time by the white unicorn "well I am Rarity darling and on the way to the park you simply must regale us with tales of living in such a sophisticated city as Manehatten" I quirk an eyebrow at her but shrug as we start walking "well not to much to tell the only times I was actually in the city after I finished school was when I was sleeping,gambling,or at one of my sister's raves. None of those things are sophisticated as far as I know. Really if I couldn't build it,bet it,or party it, it didn't interest me. That was fun for awhile but it was equally expensive so I figured it was time to saddle up and see what I could make of myself. Ponyville seemed like the best option because of the fact most of the buildings are wood and from what I hear there are two pegasi here that crash through walls or windows at least once a week. For some reason mom couldn't stop laughing when she told me that so I hope she wasn't joking." _For some reason the rainbow maned mare is blushing furiously while the rest seem to be giggling. Looks like the rainbow one has something to say _"Well I don't know anything about that, But any way I'm Rainbow Dash the fastest flier in all of Equestria" I look at her suprised by that claim but I guess Ill just roll with it. I look at the three mares and one dragon who haven't given me their names yet and gesture with my hoof to them "so are you four gonna introduce yourselves or do I have a really long guessing game on my hands" Pinkie giggles a little bit as the others appear to get ready to introduce them selves the purple one first "well I'm Twilight Sparkle I run and live in the library here in town (she gestures down to the dragon) and this is Spike my number one assistant" The dragon looks up at me before closing his claws in to a ball and holds them up like a hoof bump before saying all I need to hear "suuuup" I lift my hoof and bump his claws before returning the sentiment of bro-hood "suuuup" I turn my head to the orange mare who tips her hat with a hoof before stating "I'm Applejack pardner I work out on Sweet Apple Acres bucking the best apples in all of Equestria" I turn to the yellow pegasus who hides behind her hair _she must be shy lets see if I can fix that _I put on my gentlest smile and soften my gaze as much as possible "hey there whats your name" her face moves a little bit so I can see it past her mane and she replies very softly "I'm F-fluttershy" I continue to smile gently " that is a very nice name Fluttershy" She flicks her mane a little before smiling a little back. I look at the others who look amazed "if we want to get anything done before noon we should probably bust a move to this park" we started walking again and I'm walking next to Pinkie as she bounces and skips instead of walking as we talk. Not gonna lie she looks great bouncing in the air. We arrive in the park and I set about to sanding the table.

(we are gonna listen to the mane 6 conversation while Nails works)

"Well darlings what do you think of Nails" Rarity asks. Pinkie answers quickly "He seems super duper funerific" Rainbow rolls her eyes "of course you would say that, he can barely take his eyes off of you" Pinkie looks confused "what are you talking about Dashie, His eyes are in his head how could they be on me" Rainbow facehoofs before Rarity cuts in "no Pinkie dear Rainbow means he can't stop looking at you, he probably thinks you're cute" Pinkie gasps loudly startling them all for a second before she starts talking "ohmygoshgirlswhatshouldIdo" Twilight asks her "well do you find him attractive" Pinkie turns and looks at Nails for a moment before turning back to the others "he is kinda cute in a rugged sort of way but wait what if he's not as nice as he seems or worse he doesn't like sweets" Fluttershy responds "maybe if you spend some time with him you can figure out if hes actually nice but he seems nice to me" Rainbow snorts "I say you should give him some tests to find out if hes cool but they have to be secret so he wont know you're testing him" Pinkie looks thoughtful for a moment before breaking in to a large grin and digging around in her mane "those are great ideas girls, I've got the first test"

(back to Nails)

_This sanding shouldn't take much longer. Wait I think Pinkie is trotting over...whats that on her nose...is that a cupcake? _"hey Pinkie what you got there" she bounces in place in front of me "Itsacupcake,Ifiguredyoumustbehungrysincewewokeyouupandyoudidnteat,andyoureherehelpingussoIthoughtyouwouldlikeacupcake,CATCH!" she lifts her head and launches the cupcake in to the air _shit shit shit _I scramble underneath the flying cupcake and just open my mouth and wait (gulp) _I just swallowed a cupcake whole _"thanks Pinkie Im going to get back to work"

(follow Pinkie back to the rest of the mane 6)

"Girls he passed with flying colors" The rest of the mares look at her with confusion clearly written across their faces before Rarity asks the obvious question "Pinkie...darling...what...was...that?" Pinkie smiles at Rarity while responding "well duh I had to find out if he likes cupcakes...that's a deal breaker." the other mares all facehoof in unison.

(iight we are back with Nails)

"Well that was pretty easy I guess I'll let them know I'm done" I trot over to the six mares, _wheres Spike...oh he went over there to read a comic...Holy fuck he's reading Studpool, that's fucking awesome_ I brake off from my path to to the mares and make a beeline to Spike (the mane 6 noticed this following Nails with their eyes) I come to a quick halt in front of Spike who looks up at me in confusion "...uh hey Nails whats up" I give Spike my most pleading look "dude please tell me where you got the latest issue of Studpool" he grins and lifts the comic almost like a shrug "I order my comics through the mail, you're a Studpool fan?" _Oh I must educate this young one in the ways of the great Studpoolio _"hay yeah dude did you read the last one where Studpool fought the X-colts" Spike laughs and responds "yeah dude I got all of them in my room what was your favorite part of the last one" I laugh to myself as I stand on my hind legs and cross my front legs before speaking "There is no easy way to say this, I'm pregnant Summers" Spike falls over laughing and I quickly follow suit. I haul myself to my hooves and make my way back to the six mares who look understandably confused. Twilight looks at me quizzically before asking "what was that about" I glance at her before responding "me and Spike like the same comic books. More importantly I,m done sanding so I am gonna take a nap under that shady tree over there. Just wake me up when you all leave and I'll put the seal on the seats and the table." Twilight agrees and thanks me, I shoot Pinkie another grin before cantering over to the spot just under the tree and collapsing into an unceremonious heap.


End file.
